Arts, Briefly; Off Off Broadway Has IT

By STEVEN McELROY; Compiled by George Gene Gustines

Published: August 8, 2005

CORRECTION APPENDED

Charles Busch will be the host of the first New York Innovative Theater Awards at the Lucille Lortel Theater in the West Village on Sept. 19. Dubbed the IT Awards, they were created by the actors Shay Gines and Jayson Bowcutt and the director Nick Micozzi, to recognize the work of the hundreds of artists working Off Off Broadway. Mr. Busch, an actor, playwright, novelist and sometime drag performer, is no stranger to off-the-beaten path theater: his ''Vampire Lesbians of Sodom'' opened in 1985 at the Provincetown Playhouse in Greenwich Village. ''My days and nights toiling in alternative performing spaces in that unchartered land called Off Off Broadway are among my most cherished memories,'' Mr. Busch said. ''I still can't think of anything more fun than throwing together a show for less money than it costs for one pair of panties in 'Spamalot.''' He added: ''I'm so honored to be a part of the IT Awards that will finally recognize the beauty and inspiration that exist in small performance spaces all around this city.'' The composer and lyricist Michael John LaChiusa and the playwright Doric Wilson are among the scheduled presenters. The night's largest award will be the Caffe Cino Fellowship, a $1,000 to $5,000 grant to an Off Off Broadway theater company that has consistently produced outstanding work. STEVEN McELROY

Correction: August 9, 2005, Tuesday
Because of an editing error, a report on Monday in the ''Arts, Briefly'' column about the first New York Innovative Theater Awards, to be presented on Sept. 19, misspelled the given name of a creator of the awards. He is Jason Bowcutt, not Jayson.